Fishy Necklace

It was late by the time I got to the meeting place. The sun had already begun its colorful descent and the clouds seemed to crowd it. The waves washed sleepily up to greet the sand, momentarily greeting the coarse ground before retreating again. And both the sky and the sea matched with its deep blue edges that grew as the sun set.
River was waiting for me. He had his long mottled green tail buried in the sand, and was outstretched like a tourist getting a tan. I would've thought he was asleep, but he yawned and rolled onto his belly. His paws sunk into the ground slightly when he rested his head on his arms, letting his eyes droop closed, and wiggling slightly to get comfortable.
"River!" I chimed, hurrying over to the feline merman. His eyes immediately lit up, and he wriggled out of the sand like a snake in the desert. "Sorry I took so long," I began, but he cut me off, his massive fish tail propelling him into the air for the shortest moment, but enough to grab me into a massive hug that made my ribs pop.
"WHERE THE HECK WERE YOU!?" River shouted, looking up at me with large round sea-green eyes. "I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR HOURS!" He pouted, letting me go and dropping softly on the sand. His tail swished, creating a beautiful swept pattern in the sand. But despite his tone, a small smile grew into a large grin crossed his face.
I chuckled softly, squatting down to his level. "Sorry, I got distracted for a while. But I brought you a present!" I held up a shiny necklace. It was a simple silver colored chain, but with a pedant shaped like a fish. It was soft green, and looked like Malachite, and had delicate markings carver into it. Thin silver colored wire was braided with a black cord that encircled the fish. "I hope it makes up for me being late."
River gasped with a wide smile. He quickly picked it up and brought it closer to his face. "Woah..." He whispered, tracing the edges with the corner of his thumb. "It's so pretty!" He quickly looked up at me, and pulled me into another tight hug. "I love it! Come with me!" He grinned widely before shoving off into the water and disappearing.
"Hey!" I shouted, "Wait for me!" I dived into the water, and sharply inhaled when I realized just how cold the water was. I squinted into the dark water for a moment before I saw the tail end of River. Without hesitation I swam after him. Several times I thought I lost him, barely able to make out his shape with the fading sunlight. Eventually he stopped next to outcrop. My chest hurt from the intensity of the chase, but I quietly snuck up on him. Careful to hide myself among a tangle of kelp, I slowly reached out to grab the edge of his tail. Just before I grabbed him, I heard his voice calling from behind me.
"Sebastian!" River called, and I saw him, not even close to the outcrop. "Where'd you go?" he frowned. I quickly rushed from the kelp to greet him, and spared a glance at what I was about to grab. A massive salmon was chilling, seeming to be half-asleep. I looked at it's massive beak, and decided it would have been a bad day had I grabbed it.
"I'm here." I chuckled awkwardly, waving at him. "I must have gotten lost."
River laughed, not a malicious one, just friendly humor and he grabbed my elbow. "Well come on! You'll miss it!" He quickly pulled me towards a massive canyon, and the closer we got to it the colder it became. At one point, I found it difficult to see him.
"It's so-" I began, but River put his paw over my mouth.
"Shhh." he whispered, "Just wait..."
Almost as soon as he said it, the whole canyon seemed to fill with brightly glowing fish. All sorts of colors and hues, it seemed like something out of a fairytale. I saw a massive moray eel quickly dart between all of them, glowing a dull yellow with unsettling blue eyes. A hermit crab scuttled around carrying its stunningly patterned shell, and quickly swimming through the water onto a ledge. I got lower and quietly crept closer, watching an orange fish peck at a small purple mussel.
"Look its you!" River laughed, pointing at a dull pink salmon that slowly was floating to the right. I lightly punched him in the shoulder, stifling laughter.
"How'd you even find this place?" I asked, watching school of small red fish. "It's so pretty."
He paused for a moment. "I just kind of- Ran across it one day." He smiled softly before turning to face me. "I hope you like it."
I chuckled. "I do. It's really pretty." Sighing, a smile took over my face and I couldn't help but laugh. "Thank you for sharing this with me River. It means a lot to me."
River nodded slowly. "Remember when you found that a firefly in a jar?" I nodded in response, and slightly tilted my head. "Well you seemed so happy to share the cool creature you found with me." He pushed himself up from the sea bed, grabbed my elbow, and led me into the mass of glowing sea creatures. "And I wanted to share my cool creatures with you." He smiled and hugged me tightly. "And-And I know you have to go back soon, but I hope that it made your day better. Because you always make my days better."